CW’s British performances of 2011: No. 14

The women’s team pursuit squad rolled up in Manchester in February with another change to the women’s team pursuit line-up.

Sarah Storey, the multiple Paralympic cycling champion, teamed up with Joanna Rowsell and Wendy Houvenaghel to make her debut World Cup appearance for Great Britain.

The British team came up against New Zealand in the final having narrowly posted the fastest time in qualifiers. They knew that they would have to step it up a notch in the final to overhaul the visitors – and promptly recorded a time of 3-19.757 to crush the Kiwis and give the British Cycling coaching team a selection headache.

Storey, Houvenaghel and Rowsell’s time in Manchester was just a quarter of a second outside the world record, currently held by the United States, and the fastest women’s pursuit time recorded at sea level.

In December, Storey re-appeared as part of GB’s team pursuit trio in Cali, Colombia, with Laura Trott and Houvenaghel, where they again overhauled the Kiwis to strike gold.

Despite Storey’s contribution to the success, she was promptly dropped from the Olympic team pursuit programme by British selectors. She will now defend her two Paralympic titles in London.

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